"It appears as though deer harvest improved substantially since the first weekend", said Steve Merchant, DNR wildlife populations and regulations manager. "Getting more corn out of the fields and a bit drier weather likely helped".

Top harvest counties this year were Howell with 2,095 deer checked, Franklin with 2,060 and Texas with 1,855.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reminding hunters the importance of deer checks as hunters head out Wednesday for the start of firearm deer hunting season. In Zone 2, which covers the majority of the state, including northwest Minnesota, and runs from Canada to Iowa, harvest was up 6 percent.

"The ratio of bucks to does has changed", said Craig Engwall, executive director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association. (The harvest) is up overall, but it's all antlerless, so it's hard to know what that means.

The November portion of fall firearms deer seasons continues through Nov. 21. Additional deer will be harvested during the northern rifle zone season, which continues through Sunday, Nov. 19; the late southeast season, which runs Saturday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Nov. 26; and the muzzleloader season, which begins Saturday, Nov. 25, and continues through Sunday, Dec. 10.